Illegal migration is a sensitive issue in the northeast, where tribals and other ethnic communities wish to keep out the outsiders.

The government is expected to push the Citizenship Bill through the Rajya Sabha today.

New Delhi:

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which seeks to provide citizenship to six minority groups from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, will be presented in Rajya Sabha today. The controversial bill has led to massive protests in the northeast. The government is expected to make one last effort to push this Bill through the Rajya Sabha today.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 will amend the laws governing citizenship, formed in 1955, to grant Indian nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who fled religious persecution from the three neighbouring countries and entered India before December 31, 2014.

The political parties and the civil society opposing the proposed law say it would allow citizenship to illegal Hindu migrants from Bangladesh, who came to the state after March 1971, in violation to the Assam Accord, 1985.

Illegal migration is a sensitive issue in the northeast, where tribals and other ethnic communities wish to keep out the outsiders.

Here are the LIVE updates on the story:

Feb 12, 2019

14:08 (IST)

The government is looking to ensure passage of the Motion of Thanks on the President's Address.

While the Motion of Thanks was discussed and passed by Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha has not been able to transact any business since Parliament conveyed on January 31.

Feb 12, 2019

13:02 (IST)

We want to get Citizenship Bill passed in Rajya Sabha: Vijay Goel

Vijay Goel, the minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, told NDTV that the Citizenship (Amendement) Bill will be on agenda in the Rajya Sabha. "Home Minister Rajnath Singh will be present in the House when the Bill will be tabled. The government wants to get it passed as it will largely benefit the people," he said.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 will amend the laws governing citizenship, formed in 1955, to grant Indian nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians, who fled religious persecution from the three neighbouring countries and entered India before December 31, 2014.

Feb 12, 2019

11:50 (IST)

The controversial bill has led to massive protests in Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram and Manipur. These states have been seeing wide scale protests ever since the controversial Bill was introduced and passed in Lok Sabha in January.

Feb 12, 2019

11:47 (IST)

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, which seeks to provide citizenship to six minority groups from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, will be presented in Rajya Sabha today amid protests in the northeast against it.